Safe and controlled use

Is inhaling of one fibre dangerous to health?

(16/06/2009 - 17:10)

Of course, it is not. However the opponents of asbestos widely use the slogan “One Fibre May Kill”.

There is a simple example. Each minute average human lung inhales 10 liters of air. The ambient air in the cities and in rural districts contains approximately one fibre per each liter of air (plus/minus depending on the environment).

Therefore. everyday a man inhales 14 400 liters of air (10 liters x 60 minutes x 24 hours). At the same time each liter of air contains one fibre of chrysotile, which comes into lungs. This is the so called normal level of concentration, which does not cause any harm to health.

The risk groups of population are only those people that are exposed to excessive and prolonged impact. i.e. several dozens of years under the dust levels much higher than the maximum allowable concentrations, which are not present In the modern production facilities, leaving apart the normal life conditions, That is why ILO stressed that the question of asbestos is mostly related to the issues of industrial hygiene and is not related to general public health. Chrysotde products do not present risks of any significance to public health or the environment throughout the product life cycle. This statement is backed up by the WHO (Press Release WHO/51/REV.1, 1996) assertion: “In the general population, the risk of adverse effects from exposure to chrysotile was considered to be low”.